WASHINGTON — The death of a 6-day-old giant panda cub at the National Zoo in Washington — an agonizing blow to wildlife conservation efforts — could be linked to an abnormal liver, the zoo’s chief veterinarian said yesterday.
A day after the zoo’s staff failed to revive the cub with lifesaving measures, including CPR, the initial results of an examination showed the panda was likely a female whose body displayed no obvious signs of trauma or infection.
“Her coat was beautiful. It was in very good condition,” veterinarian Suzan Murray said at a news conference.
The cub was born Sept. 16 and was cause for celebration among zoo officials and wildlife conservationists given the daunting odds for the endangered species reproducing in captivity.
Fewer than 1,600 giant pandas are known to exist in the wild, and about 300 live in zoos and wildlife centers around the world. Breeding is a critical challenge. One in 5 cubs born in captivity dies in its first year of life, the National Zoo said on its website.
Preliminary results of an examination of the cub show the tiny animal had a discolored liver, which was hardened in some areas, Murray said.
Another unusual finding, Murray said, was fluid in the cub’s abdomen, normal for adult pandas but odd for a juvenile. Pathologists were analyzing the fluids, Murray said.
The zoo is monitoring Mei Xiang, the cub’s mother, who appeared to sleep well Sunday night and who ate her regular diet, the zoo said on its website.
“Watchers noticed her cradling an object, as she did before the birth of the cub. Scientists and keepers believe this is an expression of her natural mothering instinct,” according to the zoo’s website.